ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors: J60 stage begins in Accra

The third week of the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors tournament commenced in Accra today, as young players vie for ranking points at the National Tennis Centre. Coordinated by the Tennis Foundation Ghana and the Ghana Tennis Federation, the J60 tournament spans from September 14 to 26 and has welcomed competitors from Ghana and numerous other nations. This follows a fiercely competitive second week, concluding with the J30 girls’ singles final.

In the final, Nigeria’s Goodnews Eyinjuoluwa Aina emerged victorious, claiming the title after Ghana’s Gwendolyn Duvor Klu withdrew in the second set due to injury. Klu, who had secured the girls’ singles crown in the opening week, expressed disappointment at her early exit but praised her overall performance during the tournament. She emphasized the importance of listening to her body to prevent further injury complications and revealed her hopes of recovering in time for the subsequent stages of the ITF tour.

Aina also triumphed in the girls’ doubles category alongside Israel’s Shira Dvir. However, Klu and her Togolese partner, Gakpo, had to withdraw before the final as Klu was deemed unfit to compete. In the boys’ singles competition, China’s Ruoyu Hua defeated American David Beckles to claim the title. Spain’s Juan Montes Jimenez and Raul Sanchez Romero claimed the boys’ doubles championship after defeating British-Ghanaian pair Denzell Darkey and Jeff Frimpong.

The Spanish duo expressed delight with their win, hoping to maintain their momentum into the J60 stage.

As the tournament progresses to the J60 level, players aim to accumulate more ranking points and bolster their positions on the ITF junior rankings. Competition persists at the National Tennis Centre in Accra, as players seize the opportunity to challenge themselves against international opponents.